China files complaint to WTO over US plan for tariffs on $200 billion of goods

The last time a trade war happened in the U.S., things didn't go well for the economy. Will history repeat itself as Trump puts a tariff on steel and aluminum? Here are the facts.
Just the FAQs

In this Sunday, July 15, 2018, photo, women take souvenir photos with soft toys on display at an arcade games shop in Beijing. China's economic growth slowed in the quarter ending in June, adding to challenges for Beijing amid a mounting tariff battle with Washington.(Photo: Andy Wong, AP)

China said it filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization on Monday challenging President Donald Trump’s plan for tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.

The announcement, from the Ministry of Commerce, came less than a week after the U.S. Trade Representative proposed a second possible tariff hike following a measure targeting $34 billion of goods.

The Chinese ministry said last week that China would immediately complain to the WTO over American unilateralism. Earlier this month, the Chinese government said tit-for-tat duties on U.S. goods took effect straight away after Washington’s 25 percent tariff on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods kicked in on July 6.

Washington imposed the tariff hikes in response to complaints that Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology.

The $200 billion in goods sold to Americans every year represents about 40 percent of total U.S. imports from China.

Trump is threatening 10 percent tariffs on this round of goods. The administration has already imposed 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese imports, prompting blow-for-blow retaliation from the Chinese government.

Trump accuses China of unfair trade practices, such as subsidizing certain industries and ripping off American intellectual property. China says Trump is flouting established world trade rules and that it must protect its own economy.

Workers sorting dried seafood for export at a factory in Lianyungang in China's eastern Jiangsu province. China said on July 6 it was "forced to take necessary countermeasures," after Washington launched what Beijing called "the largest trade war in economic history," imposing tariffs on billions of dollars in Chinese imports. AFP/Getty Images